Behold this headshot of picket line-crossing Times' columnist Nicole Brodeur, which runs with her every scribble. Unlike other headshots, this one has an air of fashion to it -- a far cry from the sit and pose stylings of most daily newspaper columnists. Here, it actually looks like Brodeur has just done something. But just what has 'ol Nic just done? Has she just put away the groceries? Just finished mowing the lawn? Just watched Shakes the Clown's DVD extras? Just gotten home from a paintballing excursion with the Blethen clan? Just finished banging out a column about herself? Just been fucked? Just what? Pray tell.

There are a few movies that I consider to be incredibly well-executed and moving that I've sworn I'll never watch again. Schindler's List is one (loved it, but way too emotionally taxing for a quiet night at home), Requiem for a Dream ("ass-to-ass"—never again, but dazzling the first time) is another, and Deliverance is the grandaddy of them all. Or at least it was until I learned that freelance SW photog 'Lil Scoop hadn't seen it, so I sweated out a repeat screening at the Pigeon Ridge treehouse last night.

Suffice it to say, the film doesn't lose any of its disturbing power with time. But I've got to ask: What's with the ultra-modern wetsuit vest Burt Reynolds is sporting? Reynolds is supposed to be the biggest hayseed of his four-man suburban Atlanta crew, and yet he looks like a 1970's land-based version of Aquaman. Did Reynolds think he was being cast as a superhero in this film, and thus had the wetsuit vest built into his contract as a wardrobe requirement? Somebody please set me straight here.

Amy is right, in the land of swimwear everything is ugly or so outrageously expensive that it begs the question, why do these cost more than pants?

I have managed to find some cute suits at prices that will allow you to go swimming (or sunning as the case may be) and pay rent.

Topshop has great basic separates in colors that don't make you cringe. Why the Brits, who have such uninviting beaches, make such great suits is beyond me, but the price is so great that I won't ask questions; most pieces are under eight pounds which translates to about 13 dollars. Buying a suit online is a bit daunting, but at under $30 and with a generous return policy the risk is small and the payoff great.



Roxy also makes cute suits although they will cost a tad more. Try the Crystal Cove bikini; it will run you around $85 depending on which separates you choose, but this one is reversible so you really are buying four swimsuits with all the different combinations you can do.  



Although most of the suits on figleaves.com are fairly bland, this one will make you a silverscreen starlet faster than you can say, "Daaahling, would you be a dear and get me another drink?"